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Also somewhat common in Irish Setters. All breeding stock should be
radiographically cleared of hip dysplasia by the Orthopedic Foundation
of Animals (or the equivalent national orthopedic registry) at two
years of age before being bred.

PRA, a form of hereditary blindness, was once a serious problem in
Irish Setters. Recently, however, a DNA test was made available to
determine which Irish Setters are PRA carriers and which are not. In
Irish Setters, PRA is a simple recessive and can therefore be
eliminated from breeding programs by breeding known non-carriers to
known non-carriers. Unlike some other forms of PRA, in Irish Setters
the condition has an early onset; combined with the simple recessive
nature of its inheritance, the early onset of the disease enabled some
Irish Setter breeders to implement an effective, if controversial and
not widely adopted, program of test-breeding to eliminate PRA from
their breeding programs in the decades before the DNA test became
available. Information on the DNA test for PRA (rod-cone dysplasia 1)
in Irish Setters is available athttp://mendel.berkeley.edu/dogs/diseases/pra/blood.html.

Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy (HOD)

HOD afflicts some Irish Setter puppies (primarily between four and
eight months of age) and is sometimes fatal. Symptoms can include
fever, lethargy, swelling of joints, and lameness. Many veterinarians
are not experienced in diagnosing and treating this condition, so it
is important that puppy owners be aware of HOD's existence.
Oversupplementation of puppies and high levels of protein in puppies'
diets have been linked to the development of this condition.

Spondylosis

Elderly Irish Setters often develop spondylosis, an arthritic
condition of the vertebrae which decreases mobility. This condition
often responds well to treatment with Adequan or its oral forms (such
as Cosequin and Glycoflex), and/or acupuncture.
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